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However, when behaving aggressively, there was a dip in activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brains of those who had consumed alcoholic drinks.

This dampening effect was also seen in the areas of the brain that are involved reward, according to the study published in the journal Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience

Also, heightened activity was noted in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with peoples memory.

“Although there was an overall dampening effect of alcohol on the prefrontal cortex, even at a low dose of alcohol we observed a significant positive relationship between dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity and alcohol-related aggression,” said Denson.

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“These regions may support different behaviours, such as peace versus aggression, depending on whether a person is sober or intoxicated,” he said.

The results are largely consistent with a growing body of research about the neural basis of aggression, and how it is triggered by changes in the way that the prefrontal cortex, the limbic system and reward-related regions of the brain function.

The results of the current study are also consistent with several psychological theories of alcohol-related aggression.

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“We encourage future, larger-scale investigations into the neural underpinnings of alcohol-related aggression with stronger doses and clinical samples. Doing so could eventually substantially reduce alcohol-related harm,” said Denson.